The Banished Sigma

Chapter 19

Akel's face beamed and he grinned terrifyingly as Ralf handed him a tattooed limb. They were inside the underground lab and the Means got there through the direct entrance that was connected to the incinerator room, so no one in the pack saw them.

"Dale! Hurry up and keep it for me!" He shouted in joy.

Dale rushed to receive the hand in a cooling box. His face was frightened when he closed the box. He silently hoped the mission would fail and ruined Akel's sick plan. He dawdled back into the storage, contemplating faking an accident and threw the hand in the incinerator. But of course the incinerator was in another room and he was such a coward that he wouldn't dare to actually do it.

"You really are my dependable Beta," Akel laughed and stared at the large Mean proudly.

Ralf huffed. He lost his ability to talk, but unlike the other Means, his mind was perfectly intact. He was still his old self, only with different appearance and strength. Being the only one willingly turned, he was indeed Akel's masterpiece that could control the other Means.

"And I see you also managed to retrieve my useless son's mate. Now he can stop his stupid little journey." Akel added indifferently, glancing at Siara who stood in silence. "Throw her into her old bedroom, and lock it until Acher's back," he swatted his hand.

The Mean holding Siara pulled her roughly. She was drowned in sadness. The will to live inside her was lost and she let her body swayed to follow the Mean.

"Tell the other Means to go back to their room. You can go to yours and I will call Lane to see you there," Akel continued.

Ralf nodded and did as he said. The room for Mean Warriors were the jails with bunk beds, and the one for Ralf is the only one that actually looked like a bedroom. He got one large bed inside a jail, with curtains covering the bars from the inside. So he got more privacy.

In a few moments Lane would come down to his bedroom. She was the only member of the pack who knew about the Means and Akel's purpose. Not even their son, Warren, knew about it. Lane said he kept asking about Ralf, and he seemed upset that he never saw his father anymore.

Lane asked Akel to let Warren at least know about Ralf, but Akel wouldn't have it. He made it clear that he only trusted Ralf and his mate by allowing only her in the second underground. So in a way, Ralf was still free to see his mate.

Ralf felt bad for the other Mean Warriors who couldn't even see their mates. Ralf could feel that they still had memories for their loved ones, and longed for them. But even if they were allowed, he wasn't sure that it would be safe for their mates. He had his mind unchanged and still, having bestial intimacy was a battle to control his strength. Lane didn't care, but she was badly injured every time. For the other Means, it could lead to the death of their mates.

The rusty bars of his jail creaked, and from behind the curtains Lane appeared.

"Ralf! I miss you so much," Lane closed the curtains and ran to hug the large monster.

Their size difference was immense now. He tried to hug her with his huge hand but his claws accidentally scratched her back. Lane didn't react to it, and began to climb on his body instead, trying to kiss his face.

Ralf growled softly and sat on his bed. His breath was heavy as Lane's scent filled his nose with arousal. He tried so hard to keep down his feral urge, and Lane could sense it.

"For the thousandth time, it's okay, Ralf, I want you to touch me, please," Lane begged.

Ralf hesitated, worried that he might harm her again.

Lane hugged his neck, nibbling on his wolf ears. "I can handle it, Ralf. I already lost your handsome face and your sweet voice, please let me have at least this," her voice trembled.

It's not that she hated Ralf's new look, she didn't care how he looked. But she awfully missed the old Ralf that was a feast for her eyes, and moreover, she missed hearing his voice so much.

Ralf whined with sad eyes.

"No, don't apologize, it's not your fault, it never is," Lane cried.

Ralf nudged his face on her.

"I really wish there's a way to turn you back," she hugged his neck.

Ralf licked Lane's face and huffed. He would give anything to make that wish come true, but he knew it was impossible. There was no way back. He was trapped in the monstrous form for the rest of his life, and wouldn't be able to live normally ever again.

* * * * *

"This is incredible," Akel said, peeking through the microscope.

Dale swallowed. It was indeed outstanding.

They were looking at Kaival's blood closely, observing how alive and well the cells appeared despite having been extracted from his severed hand. The decay rate was exceedingly slow. Almost every cell within the sample seemed to thrive, as if the cells were still attached to the main body.

"If just part of his limb that is supposed to die is this strong, then what Ethan and his mate said must be true. This exceeds my expectations." Akel grinned.

"I want this power. How long can you perfect the serum?" He turned to Dale.

"Uh... Maybe a month?" Dale tried to delay as long as possible.

"Bullshit, we're halfway there. Make it in three days," Akel grunted.

"That's impossible, Alpha," Dale said, fidgeting his lab coat.

Akel barked at him, making him jolted and his eyeglasses slid down his nose. He shakily fixed it and kept his head down.

"Fine, a week, no more bargaining." Akel scoffed.

"Okay, Alpha," Dale stuttered.

Akel returned to the microscope, gazing intently at the blood cells. They appeared to him as tiny circles swirling and dancing about. Akel smiled, feeling his pulse begin to race with excitement at the prospect of becoming the most powerful Alpha ever. He had dreamt of this moment his entire life, and it seemed he was finally on the verge of achieving his life's goal. He could not wait to experience the rush of power and respect that would come with it.

Dale watched Akel with unease, fear creeping into his thoughts. Even though every fiber of him screamed not to proceed with the serum, Dale did not have the courage to disobey the demands of the Alpha. He cursed his own cowardice and his unwillingness to stand up for what he believed in. He knew that the serum would alter Akel into a possibly unstoppable dangerous being, and yet his fear of retaliation and repercussions forced him to continue with the plan.

"Why the fuck are you standing there like an idiot?" Akel snarled.

Dale flinched and scurried to the table with tubes, trying to decide where to begin. Akel scoffed and shook his head before he drowned himself once again in the beauty of the dancing blood cells and his ambitious thoughts.